Counter-demonstration to Eritrea festival in Stuttgart canceled
A demonstration by Eritreans critical of the regime against an Eritrea festival in Stuttgart has been canceled. A spokesperson for the city of Stuttgart announced on Friday that the person who had registered the gathering had withdrawn their registration on Thursday evening. The police had already announced in advance that they were preparing a large contingent against riots at the event on Saturday. "The deployment will not change", said a police spokesperson. They will be on site and keep an eye on the situation. There were massive riots at a similar event in mid-September.
The police in Stuttgart will be particularly busy at the weekend. This is because the Bundesliga home game of VfB Stuttgart and a pro-Palestine demonstration on Saturday will also keep the police busy. A festival billed as a charity festival with a youth football tournament in a sports hall in the Zuffenhausen district could, in the view of the police, once again bring opponents of the ruling government of the African country onto the scene. This is because a large number of Eritrean clubs in Germany are considered to be close to the government.
According to the event poster, the tournament and festival are being organized by the Eritrean Association for the Physically Disabled. The association was initially unavailable for comment on Friday. According to the city, the Zuffenhausen gymnasium and assembly hall, which is run by the school administration office, can accommodate up to 300 people.
On September 16, the police had defended an event organized by Eritrea associations against violently rioting demonstrators. Participants at the event, who according to the police are close to the dictatorial regime in Africa, and police officers were attacked with laths, sticks, stones and bottles. At least 34 police officers were injured. More than 230 suspects are under investigation. In July, there had already been riots at an Eritrea festival in the Hessian city of Giessen.
The cancellation of the counter-demonstration against the Eritrea festival might have been influenced by the large police presence, poised for potential riots given the historical violence at similar events. Despite the absence of the counter-demonstration, demonstrations supporting a different cause, the pro-Palestine rally, are expected in Stuttgart this weekend.
Source: www.dpa.com
